Jeffrey Janssen was just 23 years old when the company he worked for ran into severe financial distress. As a young finance manager, he witnessed how the bank appointed two interim managers who managed to get the organisation back on track within just six weeks. At that moment, Janssen realised: this is what I want to do.

He first built broad experience across multiple sectors, including chemicals, manufacturing and media. At the age of 36, he transitioned into interim management — initially as an employee. When he discovered that he also possessed strong commercial instincts, he decided to become self-employed in 2008.

During this period, Janssen held interim roles at organisations such as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and global animal nutrition company Nutreco. Following a successful and intensive turnaround during the dot-com crisis at European level within a division of Draka, he fully embraced entrepreneurship.

From Finance to Strategy

Over time, Janssen’s assignments increasingly shifted towards strategy. As an interim CFO, he supports organisations facing financial challenges or preparing for rapid growth.

One example is an international commodities trading company, where he helped grow revenue from €155 million to €450 million within two years. To enable this growth, all business processes and IT systems had to be professionalised and made scalable — creating the capacity to accelerate and sustain rapid expansion.

Another challenge arose at an international manufacturing company. Although local country organisations generated cash with varying success, there was no coherent financial structure. Cash flow management was largely absent, causing working capital to put significant pressure on the business. Revenue growth was prioritised at all costs, almost bringing the company to its knees due to liquidity shortages.

Following a thorough financial analysis, a new financing structure was arranged to stabilise the situation. By renegotiating commercial agreements, working capital was reduced and the company regained financial stability.

According to Janssen, safeguarding the long-term viability of an organisation requires a careful balance between short-term and long-term objectives. Short-term sales performance must be complemented by long-term business development to ensure sustainable operations.

By creating transparency around the financial reality of the business, Janssen helps organisations confront what truly matters. Financial expertise is not an end in itself, but a means to mobilise people and enable better decision-making. An organisation must be financially fit in order to successfully execute its strategy.

In recent years, Janssen has increasingly focused on the strategic dimension of organisations. How does the market truly function? What is the organisation’s reason for existence? Which strategic steps can realistically be taken?

Continuous investment in knowledge is essential. To stay at the forefront of digital transformation, Janssen has completed several post-doctoral programmes at various universities in recent years. Disruptive developments and their implications are second nature to him, enabling him to support organisations in identifying new markets and opportunities — often referred to as blue ocean strategies.

Approach

Janssen is known as an approachable and personable professional, yet as a results-driven and pragmatic leader he does not shy away from confrontation when necessary. His approach is grounded in Candor: open, direct and respectful dialogue in the boardroom, especially when conversations are uncomfortable but essential.

Establishing a strong personal connection with the CEO or owner-entrepreneur is crucial to him. His ambition is to make organisations structurally better — something he believes is only possible when leadership teams are aligned, willing to challenge one another, and able to look each other in the eye and speak openly about the real issues that shape performance and long-term relevance.